NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Johnston's Chameleon
Trioceros johnstoni (Boulenger, 1901)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Trioceros johnstoni, known commonly as Johnston's chameleon, Johnston's three-horned chameleon, and the Ruwenzori three-horned chameleon, is a species of chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to highlands in the Albertine Rift in central Africa. It reaches up to 30 cm (12 in) in total length (including tail). Only the adult male has three horns. The female is hornless.
Wikipedia contributors, Trioceros johnstoni; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:46:03.232200+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Trioceros johnstoni (Boulenger, 1901)
- Name authority
- (Boulenger, 1901)
- Common name
- Johnston's Chameleon
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Chamaeleonidae
- Genus
- Trioceros
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderIguania
- familyChamaeleonidae
- genusTrioceros
- speciesTrioceros johnstoni (Boulenger, 1901)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Trioceros. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Ruppell's Desert ChameleonTrioceros affinis (Rüppell, 1845) | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Trioceros camerunensis (Müller, 1909) | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| South Sudanese Unicorn ChameleonTrioceros conirostratus (Tilbury, 1998) | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Crested ChameleonTrioceros cristatus (Stutchbury, 1837) | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Trioceros feae (Boulenger, 1906) | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| High-casqued ChameleonTrioceros hoehnelii (Steindachner, 1891) | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ukinga hornless chameleonTrioceros incornutus (Loveridge, 1932) | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ituri Forest ChameleonTrioceros ituriensis (Schmidt, 1919) | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Spiny-flanked chameleonTrioceros laterispinis (Loveridge, 1932) | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mt Marsabit chameleonTrioceros marsabitensis (Tilbury, 1991) | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Perret’s ChameleonTrioceros perreti (Klaver & Böhme, 1992) | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Eisentraut’s Chameleon [eisentrauti]Trioceros quadricornis (Tornier, 1899) | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Chamaeleo johnstoni crenulatus Laurent, 1951 Laurent, 1951 | synonym |
| Chamaeleo laevigularis Müller, 1926 Müller, 1926 | synonym |
| Chamaeleon johnstoni Boulenger, 1901 Boulenger, 1901 | synonym |
| Chamaeleon graueri Steindachner, 1911 Steindachner, 1911 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Trioceros&species=johnstoni Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:58VQL. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.